Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
in which the toe of the
ski boot Ski boots are footwear used in skiing to provide a way to attach the skier to skis using ski bindings. The ski/boot/binding combination is used to effectively transmit control inputs from the skier's legs to the snow.
History
Ski boots were leath ...
is fixed to the
binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the
ski
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...
, unlike
alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Recreational disciplines include
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
and
Telemark skiing
Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing, using the rear foot to keep balance while pushing on the front foot to create a carving turn on downhill skis with toe-only bindings. Telemark skiing is na ...
.
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
events are
competitive cross-country skiing,
ski jumping
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...
and
Nordic combined
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympic ...
— an event combining cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship e ...
host these sports every odd-numbered year, but there are also separate championships in other events, such as Telemark skiing and
ski flying
Ski flying is a winter sport discipline derived from ski jumping, in which much greater distances can be achieved. It is a form of competitive individual Nordic skiing where athletes descend at high speed along a specially designed takeoff ra ...
.
Biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...
combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, but is not included as a Nordic discipline under the rules of the
International Ski Federation
The ''Fédération internationale de ski et de snowboard'' (FIS; en, International Ski and Snowboard Federation) is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. Founded on 2 February 1924 in Chamonix, France during the ...
(FIS). Instead, it comes under the jurisdiction of the
International Biathlon Union
The International Biathlon Union (IBU; german: Internationale Biathlon-Union) is the international governing body of biathlon. Its headquarters were in Salzburg, Austria, until May 2020, when the Federation moved to Anif, on the outskirts of the ...
.
The biomechanics of competitive cross-country skiing and ski jumping have been the subject of serious study. Cross-country skiing requires strength and endurance and ski jumping requires aerodynamic efficiency, both of which requirements translate into specific skills
to be optimized in training and competition.
Origins
Recreational skiing began with organized skiing exercises and races of the Norwegian and Swedish infantries. Military races and exercises included downhill in rough terrain, target practice while skiing downhill, and 3 km cross-country skiing with full military backpack.
[Bergsland, Einar (1946): ''På ski.'' Oslo: Aschehoug.] Slalom (Norwegian: ''slalåm'') is a word of Norwegian origin that has entered the international skiing vocabulary. In the 1800s skiers in
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
challenged each other on "wild slopes" (''ville låmir''), more gentle slopes had the adjective "sla". Some races were on "bumpy courses" (''kneikelåm'') and sometimes included "steep jumps" (''sprøytehopp'') for difficulty. These 19th century races in Telemark ran along particularly difficult trails usually from a steep mountain, along timber-slides and ended with a sharp turn ("Telemark turn") on a field or icy lake.
Venues
Noted Nordic skiing resorts around the world include the following:
North America
* Maple Leaf Trail, a 128-kilometer trail system between Ste. Agathe and Shawbridge in the Canadian
Laurentian Mountains
The Laurentian Mountains ( French: ''Laurentides'') are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of at Mont Raoul Blanchard, northeast of Quebec City in the Laurentid ...
*
Catamount Trail
The Catamount Trail is a long-distance, Nordic ski trail that spans the length of Vermont, extending more than from the border with Massachusetts at Readsboro, Vermont to the Canada–United States border at North Troy, Vermont.
History
The tra ...
that spans the length of Vermont
*
Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort is claimed to be the largest cross-country ski resort in North America. Located in Soda Springs, California, the resort offers 65 trails and about of skiable terrain.
Royal Gorge Resort offers accommodations ...
near
Donner Pass
Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park about west of Truckee, California. Like the Sierra Nevada themselves, the pass has a steep approach from the east and a gradual appro ...
in California
* Jackrabbit Ski Trail in the
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...
of New York
* Devils Thumb Ranch offers cross-country and alpine skiing in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
.
* The Maine Huts and Trails system offers of groomed terrain among the high peaks of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
.
*
Trapp Family Lodge
The Trapp Family Lodge is a resort located in Stowe, Vermont. It is managed by Sam von Trapp, son of Johannes von Trapp of the Austrian musical family, the Trapps. It was formerly known as Cor Unum (Latin for ''One Heart'').
History
The Trapp ...
in
Stowe, Vermont
Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census. The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski fac ...
, is named after the family of
Maria Von Trapp
Baroness Maria Augusta von Trapp DHS (; 26 January 1905 – 28 March 1987) was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. She wrote ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers'', which was published in 1949 and was the inspiratio ...
and offers of groomed terrain.
*
Ammassalik Island is an island in East Greenland that offers opportunities for guided back-country ski-touring.
Europe
* The Peer Gynt Trail in Norway extends via the
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen (; "the home of the Jötunn") is a mountainous area of roughly in southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all located in the Jotunheimen mountains, in ...
,
Rondane
Rondane National Park ( no, Rondane nasjonalpark) is the oldest national park in Norway, having been established on 21 December 1962. The park is located in Innlandet county, in the municipalities of Dovre, Folldal, Sel, Nord-Fron, Sør-Fron, Stor ...
and
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a mountain range in Central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway and Trøndelag. The mountain range is located in Innlandet, Møre og Romsdal, and Trøndelag counties in Norway. As a result of its central loca ...
national parks, a journey of about seven days with hostels along the way.
* The
Cirque du Gavarnie, is a
cirque
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...
in the central
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
, in Southwestern France, offers a limited, but scenic set of Nordic trails.
* The Ylläs Ski Resort in Finland provides of trails, of which are illuminated.
Jurij Tepeš
Jurij Tepeš (born 14 February 1989) is a Slovenian former ski jumper.
Career
Tepeš won a bronze medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo in the team large hill event. In the 2010–11 season he got his first podium in Wo ...
during team competition of FIS Ski-Flying World Championships
The FIS Ski Flying World Championships is a ski flying event organised by the International Ski Federation and held every two years. The event takes place on hills much larger than ski jumping hills, with the K-point set between and . Unlike o ...
2012 in Vikersund
Vikersund is a town of 3,232 (in 2020) inhabitants in the municipality capital of Modum, in the county of Viken, Norway.
Overview
Vikersund is located 30 kilometers south of Hønefoss and 40 kilometers northwest of Drammen. The village is loca ...
, Norway.
Telemark competition gate.png, Telemark skiing competition
References
{{Skiing